History of the Antlers

Colorado Springs was founded in August 1871 by General William Jackson Palmer and his idea of a first class hotel came to life; The Antlers, A Wyndham Hotel opened in June of 1883. At that time the population of Colorado Springs was approximately 5,000 people. General Palmer named the hotel “The Antlers” as it housed his large collection of deer and elk trophies which was the envy of many. The original hotel had modern conveniences such as a hydraulic elevator, central steam heat and gas lights. In addition it had a billiards room, music room, barber shop, Turkish Bath and children’s playroom. The hotel had 75 large guest rooms, some with balconies, and no two rooms were alike. The hotel welcomed many travelers from around the world and in fact was nicknamed “Little London” because of the many English tourists who came to visit. The draw at the time was nearby Pikes Peak and the amazing natural rock formations known as Garden of the Gods.

Although being very successful, disaster struck when on October 1, 1898, the hotel burned to the ground. The hotel was evacuated in time, with no injuries reported from the guests and staff; however the hotel could not be saved. After being rebuilt in 1901, it remained in operation until 1964, with the last guest checking out on September 20th. The hotel was then torn down and re-built, eventually re-opening on March 20, 1967, still in its original location in the center of downtown Colorado Springs. In 1975, the Broadmoor Management Company took over the operation of the Antlers. For several years, a large double-decker London-styled bus shuttled guests between the Antlers and the Broadmoor; the route being named the “A to B”.

Today The Antlers, A Wyndham Hotel Colorado Springs hosts convention, business and leisure travelers from around the world who are able to take advantage of the 27,500 square feet of meeting space, multiple restaurants, a 24 hour state of the art health club & museums all within walking distance.

Wonder what General Palmer would have to say about what he started over 131 years ago?? Come and see for yourself!